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POLITICO 44

A new report that New York Governor David Paterson and his state police bodyguards personally intervened in the domestic violence case against a close aide appears likely to end the governor's tottering political career.

The New York Times reported Wednesday night that Paterson called the alleged victim of a “brutal” attack before she missed a key court appearance. The woman, who is not named, also reportedly complained that the State Police had been “calling me and harassing me to drop the charges.”

The story draws to a close a modest revival in the political fortunes of the New York governor, who came to power after Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned in a sex scandal. Paterson appeared earlier this month to have dodged a bullet when an earlier, much-anticipated Times review of his tenure cast him merely as disengaged. But Paterson’s political operation had already begun to fly apart, with money drying up and a top aide departing. And New York observers said Wednesday night that the Times report is the final straw.

“If these allegations are true that he directly intervened in a criminal investigation, I don’t think there’s any way he can recover from this,” said a New York Democratic political consultant, Scott Levenson. “There’s going to be an increasingly loud drumbeat within the Democratic Party for David Paterson not to seek re-election.”

Paterson released a statement late Wednesday through a spokesman, Peter Kauffmann, calling for investigations by the state police and by Cuomo himself of “any allegation of improper influence.”

The Times report centers on a longtime Paterson aide, David Johnson, who rose from driver to close political adviser and who has now been accused of violence against women on three occasions.

On the most recent incident, the woman reportedly told police Johnson “choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a mirrored dresser and taken two telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help.”

She was granted two temporary restraining orders against Johnson, but failed to appear in court to seek a third order – after receiving a call from Paterson, his spokesman confirmed to the Times, the day before the scheduled court date.

If you need me, I’m here for you,” Paterson told the woman, according to her lawyer, Lawrence Saftler, the Times reported.

Paterson said in a statement that he is “asking the Attorney General to investigate the matter to ensure in the public's mind that a comprehensive and independent inquiry has been conducted” and suspending Johnson. The reaction is a stark departure from his defiant attitude toward earlier reports, including one accusing Johnson of violence against women.

“David Johnson's growth as a political professional has surprised even his greatest advocates, and I am proud that he has demonstrated what someone can accomplish when given a second chance,” Paterson said then, saying that “the conclusions reached by the [earlier] Times report are not supported by the facts.”

“This is a lethal combination,” said another New York Democratic consultant, Hank Sheinkopf, noting that allegations of out-of-control aides and a politicized police force had also played a role in Spitzer’s fall.

“This creates the potential for a clarion call for Andrew to effectively be drafted by the Democratic Party Establishment,” he said.

Ironically, the alleged cover-up attempt reported by the Times appears to have come in response to the Times’s own reporting on the governor.

Paterson’s “call also came as The Times was examining the background of Mr. Johnson, whose increasing influence with the governor had disturbed some current and former senior aides to Mr. Paterson,” the paper said in a story written by William K. Rashbaum, Danny Hakim, David Kocieniewski and Serge Kovaleski.

I'm so glad he's out of there! All I know about this idiot is that he tried to push through gay marriage on the state against the wishes of the voters! I'm so glad he won't have the chance again! I mean sincerely thankful. I hope whoever moves in next will do a better job in actually listening to the people who elected him or her.

There goes NYC liberal establiment, throwing another black man under the bus.

Does anyone remember Carl McCoy?

BJC4ever: Feb. 25, 2010 - 1:22 AM EST

Paterson should have known he was dealing with thugs and Obama and Andrew Cuomo are the biggest thugs in the Democratic party. The Democratic party has been after Paterson from the beginning.

Paterson should hire Van Jones, it seems you can get along well with the Democratic party if you hang around cop-killer lovers, american hating communist. He would have had no problem.

LOLOLOLOL

wow....I'm only half right when I say you people always have a knee jerk reaction to items such as this.

Of course...if anyone cared what lunkheads of your ilk thought about subjects such as this you might not have wasted your time providing your views.

Paterson is a political lightweight and knucklehead of the first order - his race is irrelevant. However much you would like it to be. Of course, since your party is overwhelmingly white....your comments are the equivalent of Paris Hilton complaining about S*L*U*T*S

Let this be a lesson to all other candidates who don't drop out when the White House tells them to. Wonder what they had on Dodd that they would have used? Good thing they have that extension of the White House Communications Office otherwise known as the New York Times.

This WH is looking more and more like the Kremlin - and not just because of their legislative agenda.

Is this really worse than a Harvard-educated lawyer attending a racist's church for twenty years and then claiming he didn't understand what the preacher was saying?

In true political fashion the Gov will come out and say she misunderstood what he meant and what he meant to say was........ You fill in the blanks. All politicians are liars and thieves, con men of the highest order and they temd to make Goldman Sacks look like angels.

Paterson is a political lightweight and knucklehead of the first order - his race is irrelevant. However much you would like it to be. Of course, since your party is overwhelmingly white....your comments are the equivalent of Paris Hilton complaining about S*L*U*T*S

The truth hurts, huh? The fact of the matter is that Paterson was a target almost from Day 1. He has been a loyal Democrat and if he were such a "knucklehead" and "lightweight" why did the party trust him with the Lt. Governor position and legislative leadership positions before?

He correctly pointed out that NY could not keep relying on increasing taxes to finance its spending binges. It is already the highest-taxed state, and for a traditional tax-and-spend liberal like Paterson to admit that was not something the Democratic-controlled legislature wanted to hear. Since then they abandoned him and started digging up dirt. Contrast that with New Jersey, where the establishment stuck by Corzine to the bitter end, even bringing out the heavy hitters (Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, President Obama) to campaign for him.

Paterson has a right to be outraged at the lack of support his party gave him. This has all been a plot to give Andrew Cuomo his perceived birthright. The governorship is not a hereditary office and hopefully the people of NY realize this on election day.

We can only guess that the NYT is still upset that the Enquirer exposed John Edwards and has been nominated for the Pulitizer, so they decided to climb into the mud themselves. Its a shame, since the NYT has been doing so well just using plagiarism to sell the few papers it can. Although I'm not a New Yorker, I think Patterson has tried his best despite White House opposition.

the papers are doing all of this because they support the corrupt cuomo...just what we need.........he is one of the reasons HUD mortgages are all going back to the banks.....he let acorn rule the many unqualified mortgages to go through.....the ones that needed no verification of funds.....no verification of a job....no verification of a SOCIAL SECURITY CARD...........we New Yorkers do not need him.....